Former New York Giants star Sam Beal has been missing for seven months, his sister says

The family of former New York Giants cornerback Sam Beal is seeking help in locating the ex-football player, who disappeared in Virginia last July.

“Tomorrow makes it 7 months since we’ve last heard from or seen my brother,” Essence Zhane, his sister, wrote on Facebook Monday. “We’ve done everything we could on our end to piece things together…At this point we’re in desperate need of support on all ends.”

When contacted by The Independent Tuesday, Zhane described it as an “emotional time” and declined to speak further.

Beal, 29, was last seen on July 12, when he dropped off his girlfriend at a family member’s house, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System website.

The next day, he told his girlfriend over the phone that he was in Virginia Beach and returning home soon. But, he has not been seen or heard from since then. His girlfriend’s vehicle was located in Virginia Beach with Beal’s shoes and socks inside, along with some sand.

The former football player is described as 6’2”, 185 pounds with short black hair and a close-shaved beard.

“I’m not here to answer a bunch of why’s and how’s,” his sister wrote on Facebook. “I just need this to land in the right direction to gain some form of answers or closure.

“I’m a Big sister and I need my brother to know that We Love You and miss you and this has been a heavy feeling for months to carry around,” she added.

She urged people with information to contact the Virginia Beach Police Department or the Kentwood Police Department in Michigan.

Beal grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos, a Division I team. “I always thought I’d join the Marines after graduation and eventually join the FBI,” Beal said in 2019.

“Sam is an extremely talented player, but what strikes me most about him is his work ethic,” WMU football coach Tim Lester added.

Beal was drafted by the New York Giants in 2018, though a shoulder injury took him off the field before the season started. He ultimately played in nine games during his time with the New York team before he opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. He was cut from the team in 2021.

That same year, Beal pleaded guilty in Ohio to gun charges stemming from a 2020 arrest on concealed weapon and marijuana possession counts, according to NFL.com.

“We have been aware of the situation,” a Giants spokesman said at the time. “We have no further comment at this time.”

Spokespeople for the Virginia Beach Police Department, the Kentwood Police Department and the New York Giants did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.